Hanks-Smith on Thursday, 12/6; Brough vs. Davies

Costa Mesa, CA.: December 4, 2012, With the addition of undefeated heavyweight contender Joe Hanks to Roy Englebrecht Promotions Fight Club OC show this Thursday, December 6th, boxing history will be made, as the show now will feature three undefeated heavyweights all with 10 or more wins, all on the same card, a first for the sport of boxing in California!

“When Joe DeGuardia who is Joe Hank’s promoter called me on Thursday asking if I had room on my December 6th card for Joe, as his fight in Albany fell out, I said absolutely,” said Englebrecht. “Joe was becoming a fan favorite at the Battle In The Ballroom shows in 2008 and 2009, so I knew our fans would be glad to see him back in action in the OC.”

This eight bout card will take place in The Hangar at the OC Fair & Event in Costa Mesa, and there is still about 100 tickets available and they can be purchased at www.fightcluboc.com

TALENTED BROUGH RETURNS AT LIVERPOOL’S OLYMPIA

Nathan Brough’s promising boxing career gets kick-started again on Saturday December 8 when he clashes with Welshman Paul Davies on VIP Promotions’ ‘Scouse Land’ at Liverpool’s Olympia.

The former England amateur star turned over in 2007 but, after being plagued by hand injuries, was forced to take a three year break from the game, before returning with a win in April this year.

Now, with his mitt problems fully resolved by surgery and rest, the undefeated Scouser is desperate to return to action and ride the crest of the wave that the Merseyside boxing scene is currently on.

“It’s great to see what’s happening in Liverpool at the minute and it makes me think ‘I want a piece of that; I want people chanting my name when I walk to the ring’,” said Nathan, who is 8-0 with two KOs.

“I want to be successful like the other fighters in the city, and having time out has made me realise how much I want to get back in the ring and fulfil my potential.

“The few years I’ve had out means there’s no mileage on the clock. I’m still fresh and I’m coming back with boxing booming. Liverpool’s a hotbed; it’s thriving and success breeds success.”

Nathan, like any Liverpudlian fighter today, has huge boots to fill. If the 28-year-old is to follow in the footsteps of title-winners like David Price, Tony Bellew and Kevin Satchell, then decent tests like Davies will need to be negotiated well.

Six foot tall and a boxer who likes to back opponents up, Brough is full of respect for his Olympia challenger and knows he will be coming for his scalp but, come fight night, the light-welterweight will just be pleased to be back between the ropes and making up for lost time.

“His record shows he’s a decent fighter. He’s taken the fight, he’s game, and I’m respectful of anyone who steps in the ring. I’m looking forward to getting in there and seeing what he brings to the table.

“It will feel like Christmas come early for me on the 8th. I’m really looking forward to it. I’m training with a couple of lads on the show [Ryan Farrag and Steve Lewis] which is great, and I’m very excited.”

Prestatyn’s Davies, with just a single defeat in six contests isn’t, however, travelling to Liverpool just to make up the numbers. The 26-year-old, who attributes his sole loss to being weight-drained, sees this contest as a chance to make a name for himself and is sure he can cause an upset.

“I’ve stepped up in weight and feel the best I’ve ever felt. I’m very confident and have been sparring with Ricky Hatton and Adam Little in the build-up.

“This fight is my opportunity to shine. He’s got a good record; these chances don’t come around often, and if I beat him then people will stand up and take notice.”

Tickets, priced at £30 (General) and £50 (Ringside), are available from all boxers or at www.vipbe.co.uk

Keep updated on VIP Promotions’ news by visiting www.vipboxing.com or follow on Twitter @vipboxing and Facebook. Currently, you can also watch free fights at www.vipboxing.tv

AIBA Youth World Boxing Championships Yerevan 2012 Semi-finals and Finals to be broadcast LIVE

Lausanne, Switzerland, 05 December 2012 – Taking place in the Armenian capital, Yerevan, the 2012 AIBA Youth World Boxing Championships has brought together the very best boxers aged 17 and 18 from around the globe. This edition saw over 360 athletes from 70 countries participate. As the competition heats up in the race to see who is crowned AIBA Youth World Champion, we are pleased to be able to bring you LIVE coverage from the tournament via our YouTube channel.

Held at the Karen Demirchyan Sports and Concerts Complex, located on the Tsitsernakaberd Hill which dominates the Western part of Yerevan, the competition has seen boxers displaying amazing skills throughout the past six days of action.

Boxers have been battling it out for one of the most prestigious prize in boxing. Who will make history and be crowned AIBA Youth World Champion? Follow the climactic end to this electric competition as the future stars of the sport look to make their mark on the world stage, all LIVE on www.AIBAboxingtv.com.

Click HERE for the full schedule

Semi-Finals, Thursday 06 December 2012

– Afternoon session at 14:00, local time
– Evening session at 18:00, local time

Finals, Friday 07 December 2012

– Finals session at 14:00, local time

OLYMPIC MEDALIST AND THREE EUROPEAN CHAMPIONS TO BOX IN LONDON

British Lionhearts announce line-ups for fixtures against Kazakhstan and Germany

in the World Series of Boxing

An Olympic silver medalist and three reigning European Champions will box in the British Lionhearts’ next home fixture against the German Eagles at Earl’s Court in London, after the line-ups for the team’s next two encounters were announced today.

Olympic silver medalist, Fred Evans, will compete alongside his fellow European champions Andrew Selby and Joe Ward in the Earl’s Court fixture on Friday 14 December 2012. They will be joined by Liverpool’s Sam Maxwell who will make his World Series of Boxing debut at lightweight and London’s Joe Joyce who will compete at heavyweight.

Tickets prices start at £20 and offers are available. Tickets can be purchased at www.britishlionhearts.com/tickets.

On the Saturday before, Scotland’s London Olympian, Josh Taylor, his countryman, Aston Brown and 2010 European Championship bronze medalist, Gamal Yafai, will make their first appearances in the World Series of Boxing when the Lionhearts take on Astana Arlans Kazakhstan in Kazakhstan.

They will be joined by two international selections. Sweden’s Babacar Kamara will box at light heavyweight and Mohammed Arjaoui from Morocco will take the heavyweight berth.

The British Lionhearts team is unbeaten after its first two contests. It defeated USA Knockouts 4-1 in its debut in the competition at The Hangar in Orange County USA and followed it up with a 4-1 victory over Italia Thunder in the team’s first home fixture at Celtic Manor in Wales.

Rob McCracken, Performance Director of the British Lionhearts said: “We have started very well with a couple of good victories but the team is now facing two very tough fixtures. The boxers have been training well and we have some excellent talents in both teams however we are taking nothing for granted and know this is going to be a couple of very hard contests.”

Boxing at Earl’s Court will be second a appearance in the World Series of Boxing for Fred Evans, Andrew Selby and Joe Ward who were all victorious in the Lionhearts 4-1 win against the reigning champions Italia Thunder at Celtic Manor in Wales.

Fred said: “It was great to get a win in my first outing in World Series Boxing and I am keen to get back in the ring and sample it again. Competing in London over the summer was a great experience and it will be fantastic to go back there so soon after the Olympics.”

Joe Ward said: “I am really looking forward to Earl’s Court after my successful first appearance in the World Series of Boxing. I did not have any difficulties adapting to the new format of five rounds without a vest and headguard and really enjoyed the experience. I am feeling confident and hopefully the team and I can continue our winning run.”

Established in 2010, the World Series of Boxing is a national team boxing competition made-up of 12 teams from across the World. A WSB match between two international franchises consists of bouts in five weight categories: Bantamweight (54kg), Lightweight (61kg), Middleweight (73kg), Light Heavyweight (85kg) and Heavyweight (91kg+).

Competitors box without vests and head guards and the WSB scoring system is based on the ‘ten point must system’. Each bout is decided by the scores of three judges or by a knockout, technical knockout, disqualification or walk over. There are five three-minute rounds in each bout and the team that wins the most number of bouts wins the match.